Bypolls test, concedes Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel admitted here today that bypolls in nine Gujarat assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat would prove to be a test for her and asked BJP workers to ensure a win in all these seats. Launching the campaign for bypolls by addressing women BJP workers in Deesa town of Banaskantha district today, Patel also looked confident to win the bypolls, which would be her first major challenge after becoming Gujarat Chief Minister.

"Yes, this is a test for me. The test is also for you (party workers). All of us have to win these by-elections," Patel said, addressing a crowd in Deesa, where bypolls will be held.
"These bypolls will be my second test after the recent civic body elections of Junagadh. Thanks to hard work by BJP workers, we have captured 42 (out of 60) seats. We have also captured ten other seats of different municipal corporations during the same time," Patel said.

Bypolls in nine Gujarat assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat, which will be be held on September 13 was necessitated due to nine BJP MLAs vacating their respective seats after they got elected to the Lok Sabha. The Gujarat assembly seats where bypolls will be held are Anand, Limkheda (Dahod), Deesa (Banaskantha), Matar (Kheda), Maninagar (Ahmedabad), Talaja (Bhavnagar), Tankara (Rajkot), Khambhalia (Jamnagar) and Mangrol (Junagadh). The Vadodara Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to retain Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. As a sitting MLA, he also vacated the Maninagar assembly seat.